Physicist Lise Meitner was slighted by Nobel committee

5:42 AM,
Nov. 7, 2013

Lise Meitner

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When Otto Hahn was awarded the 1944 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work in discovering nuclear fission, many scientists thought the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ignored the huge contributions of his colleague Lise Meitner. Hahn and Meitner had worked together for more than 30 years, first under Max Planck and then in their own laboratory at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin.

Many characterize her omission from the Nobel Prize as a prime example of sexism in science, but the academy's decision reflected events spurred by the ...